Tag Archives: Arizona

Information sought in illegal killing of multiple mule deer north of Congress

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WICKENBURG – The Arizona Game and Fish Department’s (AZGFD) Operation Game Thief program is offering a reward of up to $1,500 for information leading to the arrest of the person or persons responsible for the illegal killing of several mule deer near Congress, Ariz. With the generosity of several sportsmen’s groups, including the Arizona Mule Deer Organization, Christian Hunters of America and the Arizona Mule Deer Foundation, these organizations are offering an additional combined reward of up to $2,000 for information leading to an arrest.

Between October 18-29, 2020, AZGFD officers found the remains of several fresh deer, including bucks and does near the intersection of Date Creek Road and OX Ranch Road northwest of Congress. Officers determined that the deer had been skinned out and the meat taken. There were no open deer hunts in the area during this time. Evidence found at the scene suggests this was not a one-time event and that the suspect(s) frequented the area and spent considerable time there.

AZGFD Wildlife Manager Brian Dietz states, “The location is near a well- traveled area along Date Creek Road. Anyone out scouting, recreating or just passing through may have witnessed something that could help us resolve this case. Poachers are not hunters; they are criminals stealing from the residents of Arizona.”

Anyone who may have information is encouraged to call the Operation Game Thief Hotline toll-free at 1-800-352-0700. Caller identities will remain confidential and callers can report anonymously if needed. You can also report online at https://www.azgfd.com/ogt/. Callers should reference OGT #20-003449 when reporting information on this case.

Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits schedule capacity building workshops throughout 20201

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PHOENIX — The Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits has scheduled training workshops in 2021 for nonprofit organizations to build capacity and measure social return on investment and social impact and for business professionals to learn how to be effective in service on nonprofit boards of directors.

“One of our most-important contributions is to leverage the expertise, knowledge and experiences of the state’s diverse professional networks to benefit the nonprofit community’s growth and well being,” said Michael Barry, Director of Capacity Building at the Alliance.

In addition to capacity-building trainings that include Business on Board, Social Return on Investment and Nonprofit Lifecycles, the Alliance provides monthly sector updates and has scheduled complementary events this year in Phoenix, Flagstaff and Tucson as well as the annual statewide conference in August. More information can be found at www.arizonanonrprofits.org.

Also, the Alliance will be scheduling webinars under the following themes: “Marketing Your Mission” in February; “Advocating for your Organization” in March; and “Volunteerism” in April. More information will be available on the website.

The three main capacity building opportunities are:

• Business on Board.

Whether you are thinking about committing to board service or already serve on a board, this workshop will give you the tools you need to be effective in your role. Business On Board (BOB) is designed to teach professionals and community members what they need to know before joining a nonprofit board or to give a much-needed refresher to current board members and other organization leaders.

Expert speakers provide attendees with critical knowledge about nonprofit board service, including nonprofit overview, fiduciary role, legal role and fundraising role. Dates for the Zoom-based trainings are May 6, Sept. 23 and Nov. 4. Cost is $59 for Alliance members and $89 for nonmembers. Scholarships are available courtesy of Vitalyst Health Foundation. Register: https://arizonanonprofits.org/page/BusinessOnBoard.

• Social Return on Investment.

As donors and funders become increasingly focused on evaluating their investments based on outcomes, not just inputs and outputs, it is critically important that nonprofits understand how to effectively calculate and communicate the social return on investment (SROI) of their programs to bring their storytelling to life and their fundraising and grant writing to another level.

This hands-on, half-day session takes a closer look at what Social Return on Investment (SROI) is, why it is important to communicate, and how to begin formulating your own unique SROI message.

The session will be conducted by Dr. Anthony Evans, Staff Director and Senior Research Fellow at L. William Seidman Research Institute. Dates are April 29 and Sept. 16. Cost is $39 for Alliance members and $69 for nonmembers. Scholarships are available. Register: https://arizonanonprofits.org/page/SROI.

• Nonprofit Lifecycles.

Based on the award-winning book, Nonprofit Lifecycles: Stage-based Wisdom for Nonprofit Capacity, the workshop is ideal for executives and board members of nonprofits small and large, seasoned, or just-starting out.

In addition to learning about your organization’s capacity using the four “table legs” and developing your own Capacity Improvement Plan, you will work on a case study that reinforces the morning’s educational content, and receive a do-it-yourself diagnostic tool for assessing each organization’s own capacity.

Workshop dates are March 24, May 11 and Sept. 29. Cost is $69 for Alliance members and $99 for nonmembers. Scholarships are available. Register: https://arizonanonprofits.org/page/Lifecycles.

For more information about the Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits, go to www.arizonanonprofits.org.

Buying or selling a used vehicle? Be prepared and be safe

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PHOENIX – Are you in the market for a new-to-you car? Thinking of selling your vehicle in a private-party sale?

Whether you’re a prospective buyer or a seller – or both – the Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division wants consumers to know steps they can take to protect themselves when selling or purchasing a used vehicle.

First, go to AZMVDNow.gov and activate your AZ MVD Now account. Everything needed to complete a typical private-party sale of a vehicle can be completed at AZMVDNow.gov, even the transfer of a vehicle title via the convenient eTitle Transfer. Every person with an Arizona-issued driver license or vehicle registered in Arizona already has an account and more than 1.5 million accounts have been activated since AZMVDNow.gov launched last spring.

If you’re a buyer, you’ll want to ensure that there are no surprises in the vehicle’s history. An unscrupulous seller might tamper with the odometer, sell a stolen vehicle, attempt to cover up water or collision damage that wasn’t properly repaired or not disclose a lien. ADOT offers a number of tools customers can use to gather information about a vehicle they’re interested in purchasing.

While buyers do most of their leg-work prior to purchase, the work for sellers in a private-party transaction comes after a price has been agreed upon. After receiving payment, a seller should sign-in to their account at AZMVDNow.gov and complete a “sold notice.” There is no cost to complete a sold notice and it can protect the seller if the car sold is involved in a crash or crime, is ticketed, or becomes abandoned, which carries a fine.

Transferring the title comes next and some titles can be transferred at AZMVDNow.gov via eTitle Transfer, saving a trip to an MVD office. A seller should be aware that if their vehicle was titled and owned in another state prior to moving to Arizona, it’s probable that the Arizona MVD will not have a copy of the vehicle title because it didn’t issue the title. In this case, the seller can sign the back of the title and have the signature notarized.

Before giving the car to the buyer, remove the license plate. The seller might be eligible to receive credit for registration fees previously paid on the vehicle, too.

Buying and selling a vehicle is a big purchase. If a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is. Take your time and consult this car-buying checklist to protect yourself.

ADEQ seeks water quality data

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PHOENIX — The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) is seeking surface water quality data to use in the 2022 Clean Water Act (CWA) Assessment, also known as Arizona’s Integrated 305(b) Assessment and 303(d) Listing Report. ADEQ uses monitoring data to assess whether lake and stream uses are protected by the CWA and can be used for recreation, drinking, agriculture, wildlife and fish consumption.

ADEQ encourages and welcomes data from all sources: private citizens, businesses, public agencies, state and federal governmental agencies, and non-profit organizations.

Time Period

ADEQ requests surface water quality data collected for the period from July 1, 2012, to April 30, 2021, that has not previously been submitted to ADEQ. Submissions will be accepted until April 30, 2021.

How to Submit Data

There are two ways to submit data for use in the CWA Assessment:

  1. The preferred method for data submissions is via the EPA Water Quality Data website | Click to Visit Website >
  2. Data may be submitted to ADEQ directly, but to be accepted, the submission must adhere to the ADEQ data submission guidelines | Click for Submission Guidelines > 

ADEQ appreciates and values your efforts and data contributions to help us protect and enhance Arizona’s surface waters now and in the future.

Pile burns planned this week

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CLINTS WELL — Coconino National Forest firefighters are planning to take advantage of favorable weather conditions this week for prescribed pile burn operations, beginning as early as tomorrow on the Mogollon Rim Ranger District.
Windmill Piles
  • When: Wednesday- Friday (2/10-12/21)
  • Where: Mogollon Rim Ranger District. 3 miles north of Clints Well east of Lake Mary Road. GPS: 34.592, -111.311
  • Size: 200 acres (machine piles).
  • Duration: 2-3 days operation, targeting 50 acres per day.
  • Method/Type of burn: Hand ignitions of machine piles.
  • Smoke Impacts: With southwest winds predicted, smoke is predicted to move northeast. Cooling temperatures in the evenings may cause smoke to settle in the low-lying areas surrounding the burn and will be visible from Lake Mary Road.
  • Closures/Restrictions: None.
Blue Ridge Piles
  • When: Thursday (2/11/21)
  • Where: Mogollon Rim Ranger District. 1 mile east of Blue Ridge Ranger Station on Forest Road 95. GPS: 34.609, -111.170
  • Size: 5 acres (hand piles).
  • Duration: 1 day operation.
  • Method/Type of burn: Hand ignitions of piles.
  • Smoke Impacts: With southwest winds predicted, smoke is predicted to move northeast. Cooling temperatures in the evenings may cause smoke to settle in the low-lying areas surrounding the burn and may be visible from State Highway 87.
  • Closures/Restrictions: None.
Prescribed burns are always dependent upon weather and wind conditions, as well as approval from Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ). The public can view approved prescribed burns on ADEQ’s website at smoke.azdeq.gov. Coconino National Forest burns begin with the designator “COF.”
Notifications of upcoming prescribed burns are provided regularly by news releases throughout the season and also by the following online resources:

ADOT testing smart work zone along I-40 to make work zones safer for everyone

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PHOENIX – In order to increase safety and mobility in highway work zones, the Arizona Department of Transportation is studying a “smart work zone” at an existing I-40 bridge project located between Flagstaff and Winslow.

A smart work zone is a traffic management system that can be controlled remotely through computer networks, portable message boards and sensor technology to provide motorists with real-time traffic information as they approach construction work zones. This project utilizes a dynamic merge system, which is a specific type of smart work zone.

The dynamic merge system is designed to mitigate the potential hazards of lane closures by altering the time to merge based on the current level of traffic. When traffic is light, electronic signs placed well ahead of the work zone encourage drivers to merge into the open lane prior to the lane closure. When traffic is heavy, the system will encourage drivers to remain in the closed lane for as long as possible in what is known as a zipper merge.

ADOT has been utilizing the zipper merge on various projects since 2016. The zipper merge works by having drivers remain in their lanes and merge just before the lane closure begins. It’s a more efficient way of moving heavy traffic through a work zone where a lane is closed.

In order to study the potential impact a dynamic merge system can have on safety and mobility in a highway construction work zone, ADOT picked an existing bridge deck rehabilitation project on I-40 at the Two Guns and Meteor Crater bridges as a test site.

ADOT set up a dynamic merge smart work zone in the westbound direction and a traditional work zone in the eastbound direction in order to compare the effectiveness of a dynamic merge system.

Drivers passing through the work zone toward Flagstaff from Winslow should follow instructions on when to merge through electronic message signs.

Crash data and speed data will be gathered from the smart work zone and traditional work zone and used to evaluate the impact and inform decisions on future highway projects.

ADOT used something similar during a recent project to rehabilitate three I-15 bridges in the Virgin River Gorge. The queue warning system, as it was called, included portable message boards informing drivers of stop-and-go traffic ahead. That system, like this one on I-40, used equipment that detected traffic in real-time in an effort to help reduce collisions and improve safety and mobility.

New AZ511 website feature improves trucking route information

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PHOENIX – A new feature added to the Arizona Department of Transportation’s Traveler Information 511 website will help commercial vehicle drivers more easily plan their route through the state.

This new feature at az511.gov allows truck drivers to see commercial vehicle restrictions along state highways. This way, they can plan their route to avoid those restrictions. Click on the ‘Map Legend’ box on the right-hand side of the screen and check the box next to ‘Truck Restrictions’ to bring up the truck restriction icons on the map. Clicking on an icon will show details including length and width restrictions and any escort requirements.

This is the latest ADOT innovation that helps professional truck drivers. Last summer, ADOT added a feature to the 511 website to show the total number of commercial vehicle parking spaces at each of ADOT’s rest areas so truckers can find a place to rest.

Also last year, ADOT expanded the number of truck parking spaces along I-40 by nearly 100 spaces at the Haviland and Meteor Crater rest areas.

Nearly 2.4 million users have accessed az511.gov since the redesigned website launched in March 2019. More than 76,000 visited the site during the recent snowstorms at the end of January. For more information, please visit az511.gov and azdot.gov.

Student photographers have chance for Arizona Highways fame

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One of the most unique publications in the world, the ADOT-published Arizona Highways magazine, is offering student photographers a rare chance to have a nature photo published in an upcoming issue.

The publication, in cooperation with The Nature Conservancy and COX Communications, is sponsoring the 2021 Adventures in Nature Student Photo Contest, which is open to Arizona students between the ages of 13 and 18.

The competition is open through Friday, April 16, and winners will be announced on May 6. Submissions of high-resolution nature photos must be submitted via arizonahighways.com.

A total of $10,000 in cash prizes await the top 10 winners and the overall winning entry will be published in Arizona Highways, which is renowned for its outstanding images taken by world-famous photographers.

Contestants can find more information on submission requirements at arizonahighways.com or nature.org/arizona.

Coconino County Congratulates Supervisor Liz Archuleta On Appointment by the Biden-Harris Administration

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FLAGSTAFF — Coconino County congratulates District 2 Supervisor Liz Archuleta for her appointment with the Biden-Harris Administration.

“I am very honored to take this next step in public service. Serving the people of Coconino County has been a treasure. As I leave the Board of Supervisors, my heart will always remain with the community I call home and which has been so good to me,” said Supervisor Archuleta.

Under Supervisor Archuleta’s leadership, the County has advanced the cause of diversity and equity with the creation of the County’s Diversity Councils. The Supervisor spearheaded the effort to create the Colorado Plateau Water Advisory Council to protect and guard our most precious resource. During the Schultz Fire and Flood, the County, with Supervisor Archuleta in the forefront, demonstrated resilience as our leaders and residents learned from and rebuilt after the Schultz Fire and subsequent catastrophic flooding and applied those important lessons to the Museum Flood Mitigation efforts. Most recently, Supervisor Archuleta served as Chair of the Board during a period of unprecedented challenges given the impacts of COVID-19. Supervisor Archuleta again provided strong leadership during this emergency, which has resulted in the County being a leader once again within Arizona.

Supervisor Archuleta held significant leadership roles in the community serving as Chair of United Way of Northern Arizona and Flagstaff Symphony, she served on the Boards of Flagstaff Leadership Program, YMCA, and Arizona Cactus Pine Girl Scout Council, and as Trustee of the Nature Conservancy. As a community organizer she helped establish the Sunnyside, Southside and Plaza Vieja Neighborhood Associations. Her leadership was recognized by many, including as an Arizona Latina Trail Blazer, The Athena Award, and the Diversity Leaders Award from Diversity Leadership Alliance.

Supervisor Archuleta has served 24 years as a member of the Coconino County Board of Supervisors with numerous leadership positions on the County Supervisors Association of Arizona, the Arizona Association of Counties, the National Association of Counties, and the National Association of Latino Elected Officials.

Chairman Matt Ryan expressed the County’s congratulations and gratitude to Supervisor Archuleta. “Coconino County has made tremendous progress over the last 24 years because of Supervisor Archuleta’s leadership and passion for public service. She has served as Chair during our most difficult times, including the current pandemic. We will miss our colleague and friend, but we are happy for her transition to a new level of public service. We know Liz will bring her energy, innovation, and steadfast commitment to public service to the federal government. On behalf of all of Coconino County we thank you Supervisor Archuleta, for your tremendous commitment and dedication to serving our County,” expressed Chairman Ryan.

“Twenty-four years ago, I was called to serve my community as the first Latina to be a member of the Board of Supervisors. Little did I know, as I took that step into public service that it would be such an incredible journey, an opportunity of a lifetime. It is with sorrow and pride that I resign from my position. My heart is full of gratitude for the people who embraced me over the years. Each person who let me into their homes and hearts, who shared their struggles and aspirations enriched my life. I thank you. I thank you for entrusting me as your representative. I will carry that trust, the stories, the dreams with me to Washington D.C. to continue my public service” stated Supervisor Archuleta.

Supervisor Archuleta will resign from the Board of Supervisors this evening. Under Arizona law, the Coconino County Board of Supervisors will appoint a replacement for the District 2 Supervisor seat. Supervisor Archuleta will be invited to the County Board in the future for an opportunity for residents to express thanks and recognize her service to the County. Personal messages of congratulations can be emailed to tmunoz@coconino.az.gov.

ADOT officers combat human trafficking through training, awareness

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PHOENIX – Human trafficking is a growing worldwide problem and one of the most powerful enforcement tools to combat this crime is part of the essential mission of the Arizona Department of Transportation Enforcement and Compliance Division.

This division is comprised of certified law enforcement officers many of whom are assigned to the various ports of entry on the state’s borders. While operations at these ports focus on commercial vehicle safety, collecting fees and enforcing weight limits, it turns out these ports are a vital and strategic line of defense against human trafficking.

Commanders and their staff from the Enforcement and Compliance Division at ADOT’s commercial vehicle ports of entry are trained to identify warning signs of human trafficking. These can include things such as unusual tattoos, a person’s unwillingness to speak and carrying large amounts of cash without explanation.

Since 2019, this training, which explains the demand for human trafficking and how this crime is perpetrated, has become part of the standard training for ADOT officers. The enforcement division is developing online training so ADOT highway workers will also be ready to spot the signs of human trafficking.

“As the state’s transportation agency, ADOT is in a critical position to help stop human trafficking and we take that role very seriously,” said ADOT Director John Halikowski. “ADOT’s commitment to transportation safety includes not only drivers, but the victims of this horrible practice.”

Meanwhile, dozens of vehicles driven by officers with ADOT’s Enforcement and Compliance Division have bumper stickers aimed at directing those who need help or who see signs of trouble to EndSexTrafficking.AZ.gov or 888.373.7888, resources offered through the Governor’s Office of Youth, Faith and Family.

Capt. Dave Curry of ADOT’s Enforcement and Compliance Division is a member of the Arizona Human Trafficking Council created by Governor Doug Ducey to help make Arizona a leader in combating this crime.

“ADOT takes several approaches to do our part to end this heinous practice here in Arizona,” Curry said. “From comprehensive training of officers and employees to raising awareness through bumper stickers on our vehicles, ADOT is serious about stopping human trafficking and saving lives.”

If you would like to learn more about how to help stop human trafficking, please visit EndSexTrafficking.az.gov. To report anything suspicious, please call 888.373.7888.